386 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



this account. In fact, since bran varies 

 considerably in price from year to year, 

 it is used or omitted from the ration, 

 according to the economy of feeding un- 

 der the prevailing prices. Bran is used 

 more extensively by dairymen than by 

 beef raisers. Its value in the produc- 

 tion of beef, however, is well understood, 

 and its use is increasing somewhat dur- 

 ing seasons when it can be obtained at 

 reasonable prices. 



Corn — Throughout the corn belt and 

 wherever this grain can be produced 

 economically, corn unquestionably stands 

 at the head of the list of grains for 

 economy and effectiveness in beef pro- 

 duction. It may be fed in rations of 

 4 to 18 pounds a day, as the only grain; 

 but better results are obtained, even in 

 comparatively short feeding periods, by 

 the addition of smaller amounts of bar- 

 ley, wheat, peas, beans, linseed meal, 

 cottonseed meal, bran, soy bean meal 

 and other nitrogenous feeds. 



Whenever corn is caught by frost in 

 the fall, so that it does not reach com- 

 plete maturity, doubt is frequently enter- 

 tained regarding the value of such corn 

 as a feed for steers. This question was 

 thoroughly studied by Kennedy and 

 others at the Iowa experiment station. 

 The results obtained from feeding tests 

 showed tbat soft corn containing 35 per 

 cent of water at the beginning of the 

 test was equal in feeding value to ma- 

 ture corn when usad for fattening cattle. 

 Cattle which received the soft corn made 

 nearly as large gains and finished in as 

 fine condition as those on mature corn. 

 Since soft corn injured by frost could be 

 readily purchased at 30 cents a bushel, 

 the gains in steers were produced at 3 

 cents a pound less than when mature 

 corn was fed costing 50 cents a bushel. 

 Apparently the amount of water present 

 in soft corn is the chief difference in so 

 far as composition is concerned between 

 it and fully mature corn. In Colorado, 

 a comparative test of corn and wheat 

 for steers showed them to be about 

 equally effective, but during shipping 

 the shrinkage was much less in the corn- 

 fed steers. 



In Oklahoma, corn has been found 

 to be superior to kafir corn, and about 

 equal to wheat meal in feeding value on 

 the basis of tests made in Ohio. A 

 comparison of corn and wheat in Penn- 

 sylvania gave results in favor of corn. 

 In Virginia, corn fed whole or ground 

 made greater and cheaper gains than 

 cottonseed by-products, the cheapest 



gains being made on whole corn fed in 

 rations of 12 pounds. 



At the Texas experiment station, com 

 chops proved to be more profitable wben 

 used during the whole fattening period 

 than when fed merely to finish off 

 steers which had been maintained on 

 cottonseed by-products. Gluten meal 

 proved to be superior to linseed meal at 

 the Ohio experiment station; while in 

 Illinois, gluten meal produced the re- 

 quired market finish in steers more 

 cheaply than any other of several ra- 

 tions which were tested. 



In farm practice corn is considered a 

 fundamental grain in fattening steers 

 and other grains are looked at merely 

 as supplemental feeds, used for the pur- 

 pose of improving the quality of the 

 beef or for increasing the efficiency of 

 corn. 



At the Iowa experiment station, Ken- 

 nedy and others carried on feeding ex- 

 periments in testing the use of supple- 

 mental feed stuffs with corn. It was 

 found that the use of such material re- 

 sults in a more rapid rate of gain, finer 

 finish, sometimes more economic gain, 

 and always in higher prices for the fin- 

 ished beef. Gluten meal, linseed meal 

 and cottonseed meal proved excellent 

 feeds for this purpose. They are par- 

 ticularly suitable for balancing rations 

 in which the roughage is somewhat in- 

 ferior. 



The extent to which supplemental 

 feeds may be economically vised depends 

 upon the price of corn and the otber 

 feed, and also on the character of the 

 roughage. In general, the higher the 

 price of the cattle and the finer their 

 quality, the more profitable will be the 

 use of such feeds. While these supple- 

 mental feeds increase the effectiveness of 

 corn, it should always be remembered 

 that almost, if not quite equally good 

 results may be obtained from a ration of 

 corn and clover or alfalfa hay. Profits 

 from the last named ration will ordina- 

 rily be greater than those from a ration 

 of corn and expensive grain feeds. 



The same problem of the economy of 

 supplemental feeds in connection with 

 corn was studied by Burnett and Smith 

 in Nebraska. It was found that the 

 cost of gain with corn alone was 13 per 

 cent greater than with corn and linseed 

 meal. Corn and grass were found not to 

 supply a sufficient amount of protein for 

 cheap gain. The use of linseed meal, 

 moreover, appeared to help the diges- 

 tion of steers, so that they were less / 



